You don't have to break the bank to visit San Francisco

Painted Ladies - courtesy Wikimapia.org

Even if you’ve never been to San Francisco, you probably feel like you already know the city. Its beautiful skyline, charming historic houses, and hip art scene has been featured in countless movies. And this is one city that lives up to its hype – San Francisco is every bit as stunning as you’d imagine it to be. Whether you’re planning your first or your tenth visit, here are some tips to get great value, make your budget stretch a little bit further, and truly get a sense for what makes this legendary city tick.

Welcome to the latest installment of the "Save, Splurge, Steal" interview series. Getting great value when I travel is always such a fun challenge for me and I love to learn how other people get the best possible experience for their available time and money. I'm asking top travel bloggers to share their expertise and I hope you enjoy their responses as much as I do!

Meet Anto from We12Travel!

Anto is one half of we12travel.nl. Together with Martijn, Anto runs a website dedicated to adventurous and active traveling to the world’s most beautiful places. They are full time office workers and part time outdoor lovers.

A Review of San Francisco's Hostelling International Fisherman's Wharf

A huge sign asking "Where in the world are you sleeping tonight?" greets us when we enter San Francisco's Hostelling International Fisherman's Wharf at Fort Mason. It turns out this remarkable building has worn many hats over the years, including being an army barracks, a pharmacy, and part of a national park. If you like some history and character with your accommodations, this is the place to be!

A decent rain jacket is an essential piece of travel gear.

A rainy day in Bruges didn't dampen Ryan's travel spirits.

If I waited until the rain stopped to go traveling, chances are I would never leave the house! It seems like it's drizzling for at least half the year in Canada and some of my favourite travel destinations are notoriously wet - I'm talking about you, Ireland! While I HATE being damp, I'm not going to let the bad weather rain on my travel parade.

When Ryan and I had the chance to take Tilley Endurable's waterproof jacket with us on our round the world trip, we jumped at the chance to put this product through its paces and we were thrilled we found a raincoat that was compact enough to earn a place in our pack.

There's More to PEI Than Potatoes!

The humble potato is likely the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Prince Edward Island’s cuisine and you’re not wrong. Potatoes are grown and consumed in abundance here, which suits me just fine. Mashed potatoes are one of my favourite foods and you’d be surprised how often this sublime art form is abused by restaurants around the world! If you want to spend your PEI vacation eating nothing but potatoes, I promise I won’t judge you in the least but if you want to branch away from this comforting classic and discover more diverse regional cuisine, here are five experiences to tempt even the most fickle foodie.